I made many other experiments; and though world. In short, the middle condition is the I have not room for them all in this day's mos eligible to the man who would improve speculation, I may perhaps reserve them for himself in virtue; as I have before shown it another, I shall only add, that upon my is the most advantageous for the gaining of awaking, I was sorry to find my golden scales knowledge. It was upon this consideration vanished; but resolved for the future to learn that Agur founded his prayer, which, for the this lesson from them, not to despise or value wisdom of it, is recorded in holy writ. Two any thing for their appearances, but to regu- things have I required of thee; deny me them late my esteem and passions towards them ac-not before I die. Remove far from me vanicording to their real and intrinsic value. C. ty and lies; give me neither poverty nor rich es; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.' I shall fill the remaining part of my paper with a very pretty allegory, which is wrought into a play by Aristophanes the Greek comedian. It seems originally designed as a satire upon the rich, though, in some parts of it, it is like the foregoing discourse, a kind of comparison between wealth and poverty. I AM wonderfully pleased when I meet with any passage in an old Greek or Latin Author Chremylus, who was an old and a good man, that is not blown upon, and which I have never and withal exceeding poor, being desirous to met with in a quotation. Of this kind is a leave some riches to his son, consults the orabeautiful saying in Theognis: "Vice is cover-cle of Apollo upon the subject. The oracle ed by wealth, and virtue by poverty;' or to bids him follow the first man he should see upgive it in the verbal translation, Among men on his going out of the temple. The person there are some who have their vices concealed he chanced to see was to appearance an old by wealth, and others who have their virtues sordid blind man, but, upon his following him concealed by poverty.' Every man's obser- from place to place, he at last found, by his vation will supply him with instances of rich own confession, that he was Plutus the god of men, who have several faults and defects that are riches, and that he was just come out of the over-looked, if not entirely hidden, by means house of a miser. Plutus further told him, of their riches; and, I think, we cannot find a shat when he was a boy, he used to declare, more natural description of a poor man, whose that as soon as he came to age he would dismerits are lost in his poverty, than that in the tribute wealth to none but virtuous and just words of the wise man: There was a little men; upon which Jupiter, considering the city, and few men within it; and there came a pernicious consequences of such a resolution, great king against it, and besieged it, and built took his sight away from him, and left him to great bulwarks against it. Now there was stroll about the world in the blind condition found in it a poor wise man, and he, by his wherein Chremylus beheld him. With much wisdom, delivered the city; yet no man re-ado Chremylus preveiled upon him to go to membered that same poor man. Then, said his house, where he met an old woman in a I, wisdom is better than strength; neverthe-tattered raiment, who had been his guest for less, the poor man's wisdom is despised, and many years, and whose name was Poverty. his words are not heard.' The old woman refusing to turn out so easily The middle condition seems to be the most as he would have her, he threatened to banish advantageously situated for the gaining of wis- her not only from his own house, but out of dom. Poverty turns our thoughts too much all Greece, if she made any more words upon upon the supplying of our wants, and riches, the matter. Poverty on this occasion pleads upon enjoying our superfluities; and, as Cow-her cause very notably, and represents to her ly has said in another case, 'It is hard for a old landlord, that, should she be driven out of man to keep a steady eye upon truth, who is the country, all their trades, arts, and scienalways in a battle or a triumph.' ces, would be driven out with her; and that, If we regard poverty and wealth, as they are if every one was rich, they would never be apt to produce virtues or vices in the mind of supplied with those pomps, ornaments, and man, one may observe that there is a set of conveniences of life which made riches desiraeach of these growing out of poverty, quite dif- ble. She likewise represented to him the seferent from that which rises out of wealth. veral advantages which she bestowed upon her Humility and patience, industry and temper-votaries in regard to their shape, their health, ance, are very often the good qualities of a and their activity, by preserving them from poor man. Humanity and good-nature, mag-gouts, dropsies, unwieldiness, and intempernanimity and a sense of honour, are as often the ance. But whatever she had to say for her qualifications of the rich. On the contrary, self, she was at last forced to troop off. Chrepoverty is apt to betray a man into envy, rich- mylus immediately considered how he might es into arrogance; poverty is too often attend- restore Plutus to his sight; and, in order to it, ed with fraud, vicious compliance, repining, conveyed him to the temple of Esculapius, murmur, and discontent. Riches expose a who was famous for cures and miracles of this man to pride and luxury, a foolish elation of nature. By this means the deity recovered heart, and too great a fondness for the present his eyes, and began to make a right use of them, by enriching every one that was dis- never after suffer ourselves to call it in questinguished by piety towards the gods, and jus- tion. We may perhaps forget the arguments tice towards men; and at the same time by ta- which occasioned our conviction, but we ought king away his gifts from the impious and un-to remember the strength they had with us, deserving. This produces several merry in- and therefore still to retain the conviction cidents, till in the last act Mercury descends which they once produced. This is no more with great complaints from the gods, that since than what we do in every common art or scithe good men were grown rich, they had re-ence; nor is it possible to act otherwise, conceived no sacrifices; which is confirined by a sidering the weakness and limitation of our inpriest of Jupiter, who enters with a remon-tellectual faculties. It was thus that Latimer, strance, that since the late innovation he was one of the glorious army of martyrs, who inreduced to a starving condition, and could not troduced the reformation in England, behaved live upon his office. Chremylus, who in the himself in that great conference which was beginning of the play was religious in his pov-managed between the most learned among the erty, concludes it with a proposal, which was protestants and papists in the reign of Queen relished by all the good men who had now Mary. This venerable old man, knowing his grown rich as well as himself, that they should abilities were impaired by age, and that it was carry Plutus in solemn procession to the tem-impossible for him to recollect all those reaple, and install him in the place of Jupiter. sons which had directed him in the choice of This allegory instructed the Athenians in two his religion, left his companions, who were in points: first, as it vindicated the conduct of the full possession of their parts and learning, Providence in its ordinary distributions of to baffle and confound their antagonists by the wealth; and, in the next place, as it shows the force of reason. As for himself, he only regreat tendency of riches to corrupt the morals of those possessed them. No. 465.] Saturday, August 23, 1712. C. Francis. peated to his adversaries the articles in which he firmly believed, and in the profession of which he was determined to die. It is in this manner that the mathematician proceeds upon propositions which he has once demonstrated: and though the demonstration may have slipped out of his memory, he builds upon the truth, because he knows it was demonstrated. This rule is absolutely necessary for weaker minds, and in some measure for men of the greatest abilities; but to these last I would propose, in the second place, that they should lay up in their memories, and always keep by them in readiness, those argu How you may glide with gentle ease Adown the current of your days; Nor vex'd by inean and low desires, Nor warm'd by wlid ambitious fires; By hope alarm'd, depress'd by fear, For things but little worth your care. HAVING endeavoured in my last Saturday's paper to show the great excellency of faith, Iments which appear to them of the greatest shall here consider what are the proper means strength, and which cannot be got over by all of strengthening and confirming it in the mind the doubts and cavils of infidelity. of man. Those who delight in reading books But, in the third place, there is nothing of controversy which are written on both sides which strengthens faith more than morality. of the question on points of faith, do very sel- Faith and morality naturally produce each dom arrive at a fixed and settled habit of it. other. A man is quickly convinced of the They are one day entirely convinced of its im-truth of religion, who finds it is not against portant truths, and the next meet with some- his interest that it should be true. The thing that shakes and disturbs them. The pleasure he receives at present, and the hapdoubt which was laid revives again, and shows piness which he promises himself from it hereitself in new difficulties, and that generally for after, will both dispose him very powerfully to this reason, because the mind, which is perpe-give credit to it, according to the ordinary obtually tost in controversies and disputes, is apt servation, that we are easy to believe what to forget the reasons which had once set it at we wish.' It is very certain, that a man of rest, and to be disquieted with any former per-sound reason cannot forbear closing with plexity, when it appears in a new shape, or religion upon an impartial examination of is started by a different hand. As nothing is it; but at the same time it is certain, that faith more laudable than an inquiry after truth, so is kept alive in us, and gathers strength from nothing is more irrational than to pass away practice more than from speculation. our whole lives, without determining ourselves There is still another method, which is more one way or other, in those points which are of persuasive than any of the former; and that the last importance to us. There are indeed is an habitual adoration of the Supreme Bemany things from which we may withold our ing, as well in constant acts of mental worassent; but in cases by which we are to reg-ship, as in outward forms. The devout man ulate our lives, it is the greatest absurdity to be does not only believe, but feels there is a deiwavering and unsettled, without closing with ty. He has actual sensations of him; his exthat side which appears the most safe and the perience concurs with his reason; he sees bim most probable. The first rule, therefore, which more and more in all his intercourses with I shall lay down is this; that when by reading him, and even in this life almost loses his faith or discourse we find ourselves thoroughly con- in conviction. vinced of the truth of any article, and of the The last method which I shall mention for reasonableness of our belief in it, we should the giving life to a man's faith, is frequent III. "What though, in solemn silence, all retirement from the world, accompanied with -Vera incessu patuit dea.- Virg. Æn. i. 409. silence and darkness of the night. A man finds the same difference as to himself in a And by her graceful walk the queen of love is known. crowd and in a solitude: the mind is stunned Dryden. and dazzled amidst that variety of objects When Eneas, the hero of Virgil, is lost in which press upon her in a great city. She cannot apply herself to the consideration of the wood, and a perfect stranger in the place those things which are of the utmost concern on which he is landed, he is accosted by a lady to her. The cares or pleasures of the world in a habit for the chase. She inquires of him, strike in with every thought, and a multitude whether he has seen pass by that way any of vicious examples give a kind of justifica- young woman dressed as she was? whether tion to our folly. In our retirements, every she were following the sport in the wood, or thing disposes us to be serious. In courts and any other way employed, according to the cities we are entertained with the works of custom of huntresses? The hero answers with men; in the country with those of God. One the respect due to the beautiful appearance is the province of art, the other of nature. she made; tells her, he saw no such person as Faith and devotion naturally grow in the mind she inquired for; but intimates that he knows of every reasonable man, who sees the im-her to be one of the deities, and desires she pressions of divine power and wisdom in eve-would conduct a stranger. Her form, from ry object on which he casts his eye. The Su-her first appearance, manifested she was more preme Being has made the best arguments for than mortal; but, though she was certainly a his own existence, in the formation of the goddess, the poet does not make her known to heavens and the earth; and these are argu-be the goddess of beauty till she moved, All ments which a man of sense cannot forbear the charms of an agreeable person are then in attending to, who is out of the noise and hurry their highest exertion, every limb and feature of human affairs. Aristotle says, that should appears with its respective grace, a man live under ground, and there converse this observation that I cannot help being so with the works of art and mechanism, and passionate an admirer as I am of good danshould afterward be brought up into the open cing. As all art is an imitation of nature, this day, and see the several glories of the heaven is an imitation of nature in its highest exceland earth, he would immediately pronounce lence, and at a time when she is most agreeathem the works of such a being as we define ble. The business of dancing is to display God to be. The psalmist has very beatiful beauty; and for that reason all distortions and strokes of poetry to this purpose, in that ex-mimickries, as such, are what raise aversion alted strain: The heavens declare the glory instead of pleasure; but things that are in of God; and the firmament showeth his handy themselves excellent, are ever attended with work. One day telleth another; and one night imposture and false imitation. Thus, as in certifieth another. There is neither speech nor poetry there are labouring fools who write anlanguage; but their voices are heard among agrams and acrosticks, there are pretenders in them. Their sound is gone out into all lands; dancing, who think merely to do what others and their words into the ends of the world.' cannot, is to excel. Such creatures should be As such a bold and sublime manner of think- rewarded like him who has acquired a knack ing furnishes very noble matter for an ode, the reader may see it wrought into the following It is from of throwing a grain of corn through the eye of a needle, with a bushel to keep his hand in use. The dancers on our stage are very faulty in this kind; and what they mean by writhing themselves into such postures, as it would be a pain for any of the spectators to stand in, and yet hope to please those spectators, is unintelligible. Mr. Prince has a genius, if he were encouraged would prompt him to better things. In all the dances he invents, you see he keeps close to the character he represents. He does not hope to please by making his performers, move in a manner in which no one else ever did but by motions proper to the characters he represents. He gives to clowns and lubbards clumsy graces; that is, he makes them practise what they would think graces; and I have seen dances of his, which might give hints that would be useful to a comic wris ter. These performances have pleased the pant insipidly gay, and wantonly forward, taste of such as have not reflection enough whom you hehold among dancers, that carto know their excellence, because they are in riage is more to he attributed to the perverse nature; and the distorted motions of others genius of the performers, than imputed to the have offended those who could not form rea-art itself. For my part, my child has danced sons to themselves for their displeasure, from herself into my esteem; and I have as great their being a contradiction to nature. an honour for her as ever I had for her mo When one considers the inexpressible ad-ther, from whom she derived those latent good vantage there is in arriving at some excellence qualities which appeared in her countenance in this art, it is monstrous to behold it so much when she was dancing; for my girl, though I neglected. The following letter has in it some-say it myself, showed in one quarter of an thing very natural on this subject. " MR. SPECTATOR, 'I am, Sir, Your humble servant, hour the innate principles of a modest virgin, a tender wife, a generous friend, a kind mother, and an indulgent mistress. I'll strain 'I am a widower with but one daughter: hard but I will purchase for her an husband she was by nature much inclined to be a romp; suitable to her merit. I am your convert in and I had no way of educating her, but com- the admiration of what I thought you jested manding a young woman, whom I entertained when you recommended; and if you please to to take care of her, to be very watchful in her be at my house on Thursday ext. I make a care and attendance about her. I am a man ball for my daughter, and you shall see her of business, and obliged to be much abroad dance, or, if you will do her that honour, The neighbours have told me, that in my ab- dance with her. sence our maid has let in the spruce servants in the neighbourhood to junketings, while my girl played and romped even in the street. To tell you the plain truth, I catched her once, at eleven years old, at chuck-farthing among the I have some time ago spoken of a treatise boys. This put me upon new thoughts about my written by Mr. Weaver on this subject, which child, and I determined to place her at a board-is now, I understand, ready to be published. ing-school; and at the same time gave a very This work sets this matter in a very plain and discreet young gentlewoman her maintenance advantageous light; and I am convinced from at the same place and rate, to be her compa-it, that if the art was under proper regulanion. I took little notice of my girl from time tions, it would be a mechanic way of imto time, but saw her now and then in good planting insensibly, in minds not capable of health, out of harm's way, and was satisfied. receiving it so well by any other rules, a sense But, by much importunity, I was lately pre- of good-breeding and virtue. vailed with to go to one of their balls. I can- Were any one to see Mariamne,* dance, not express to you the anxiety my silly heart let him be never so sensual a brute, I defy was in, when I saw my romp, now fifteen, ta- him to entertain any thoughts but of the highken out I never felt the pangs of a father up- est respect and esteem towards her. I was on me so strongly in my whole life before; showed last week a picture in a lady's closet, and I could not have suffered more had my for which she had an hundred different dresses, whole fortune been at stake. My girl came that she could clap on round the face on puron with the most becoming modesty I had ever pose to demonstrate the force of habits in the seen, and casting a respectful eye, as if she diversity of the same countenance. Motion, feared me more than all the audience. I gave and change of posture and aspect, has an ef a nod, which I think gave her all the spirit fect no less surprising on the person of Mashe assumed upon it: but she rose properly to riamne when she dances. that dignity of aspect. My romp, now the Chloe is extremely pretty, and as silly as most graceful person of her sex, assumed a she is pretty. This idiot has a very good ear, majesty which commanded the highest respect; and a most agreeable shape; but the folly of and when she turned to me, and saw my face the thing is such, that it smiles so impertiin rapture, she fell into the prettiest smile, nently, and affects to please so sillily, that and I saw in all her motions that she exulted while she dances you see the simpleton from in her father's satisfaction. You, Mr. Spec- head to foot. For you must know (as trivial tator, will, better than I can tell you, imagine as this art is thought to be), no one was ever to yourself all the different beauties and chan-a good dancer that had not a good underges of aspect in an accomplished young wo-standing. If this be a truth, I shall leave the man setting forth all her beauties with a de-reader to judge, from that maxim, what esteem sign to please no one so much as her father. they ought to have for such impertinents as My girl's lover can never know half the satis-fly, hop, caper, tumble, twirl, turn round, faction that I did in her that day. I could not and jump over their heads; and, in a word, possibly have imagined that so great improve- play a thousand pranks which many animals ment could have been wrought by an art that can do better than a man, instead of perI always held in itself ridiculous and contemp-forming to perfection what the human figure tible. There is, I am convinced, no method only is capable of performing. like this, to give young women a sense of It may perhaps appear odd, that I, who their own value and dignity; and I am sure set up for a mighty lover, at least of virtue, there can be none so expeditious to commu nicate that value to others. As for the flip-| * Probably Mrs. Bicknell. T. It would far exceed my present design, to should take so much pains to recommend we find in others. However, it is but just, what the soberer part of mankind look upon as well as pleasing, even for variety, someto be a trifle; but, under favour of the so- times to give the world a representation of berer part of mankind, I think they have not the bright side of human nature, as well as enough considered this matter, and for that the dark and gloomy. The desire of imitareason only disesteem it. I must also, in my tion may, perhaps, be a greater incentive to own justification, say, that I attempt to bring the practice of what is good, than the averinto the service of honour and virtue every sion we may conceive at what is blameable: thing in nature that can pretend to give ele- the one immediately directs you what you gant delight It may possibly be proved, that should do, whilst the other only shows what vice is in itself destructive of pleasure, and you should avoid; and I cannot at present virtue in itself conducive to it. If the delights do this with more satisfaction, than by enof a free fortune were under proper regula-deavouring to do some justice to the charac tions, this truth would not want much argu-ter of Manilius. meut to support it; but it would be obvious to every man, that there is a strict affinity give a particular description of Manilius between all things that are truly laudable and through all the parts of his excellent life. I beautiful, from the highest sentiment of the shall now only draw him in his retirement, soul to the most indifferent gesture of the and pass over in silence the various arts, the courtly manners, and the undesigning honesty body. by which he attained the honours he has enjoyed, and which now give a dignity and veneration to the ease he does enjoy. 'Tis here that he looks back with pleasure on the waves and billows through which he has steered to so fair an haven: he is now intent upon the practice of every virtue, which a great knowledge and use of mankind has discovered to be the most useful to them. Thus in his private domestic employments he is no less glorious than in his publie; for it is in reality a more difficult task to be conspicuous in a sedentary THE love of praise is a passion deeply fix-inactive life, than in one that is spent in hured in the mind of every extraordinary per-ry and business: persons engaged in the lat son; and those who are most affected with it, ter, like bodies violently agitated, from the seem most to partake of that particle of the di-swiftness of their motion, have a brightness vinity which distinguishes mankind from the added to them, which often vanishes when inferior creation. The Supreme Being himself they are at rest; but if it then still remain, is most pleased with praise and thanksgiving: it must be the seeds of intrinsic worth that the other part of our duty is but an acknow-thus shine out without any foreign aid or asledgment of our faults, whilst this is the im-sistance. No. 467.] Tuesday, August 26, 1712. Tibull. ad. Messalem, Eleg. iv. Lib. 1. 24. mediate adoration of his perfections. 'Twas His liberality in another might almost bear an excellent observation, that we then only the name of profusion: he seems to think it despise commendation when we cease to de- laudable even in the excess, like that river serve it; and we have still extant two orations which most enriches when it overflows. But of Tully and Pliny, spoken to the greatest and Manilius has too perfect a taste of the pleabest princes of all the Roman emperors, who sure of doing good, ever to let it be out of his no doubt, heard with the greatest satisfaction, power; and for that reason he will have a what even the most disinterested persons, and just economy and a splendid frugality at home, at so large a distance of time, cannot read the fountain from whence those streams without admiration. Cæsar thought his life should flow which he disperses abroad. He consisted in the breath of praise, when he pro- looks with disdain on those who propose their fessed he had lived long enough for himself, death as the time when they are to begin their when he had for his glory. Others have sa- munificence: he will both see and enjoy crificed themselves for a name which was not (which he then does in the highest degree) to begin till they were dead, giving away what he bestows himself; he will be the living themselves to purchase a sound which was not executor of his own bounty, whilst they whe to commence till they were out of hearing. have the happiness to be within his care and But by merit and superior excellencies, not patronage, at once pray for the continuation only to gain, but, whilst living, to enjoy a of his life and their own good fortune. No great and universal reputation, is the last de- one is out of the reach of his obligations; he gree of happiness which we can hope for here. knows how, by proper and becoming methods, Bad characters are dispersed abroad with pro-to raise himself to a level with those of the fusion; I hope for example's sake, and (as highest rank; and his good-nature is a sufpunishments are designed by the civil power) ficient warrant against the want of those who more for the deterring the innocent, than the are so unhappy as to be in the very lowest. chastising the guilty. The good are less fre- One may say of him, as Pindar bids his quent, whether it be that there are indeed muse say of Theron, fewer originals of this kind to copy after, or that, through the malignity of our nature, we rather delight in the ridicule than the virtues VOL. II. 'Swear, that Theron sure has sworn, 26 |